Passport renewal: Silly question (fees)

[2Tiggies]

I've got DD's renewal forms and passports ready to take in for a Check & Send service, hopefully this week. There is a £3 fee for having your documents returned by secure delivery. Does this have to be paid separately or can I add it all on as a total?

For some reason I thought you could pay by cheque (sure I did last time?) but it looks like it's now debit/credit card or postal order or cash.

Thanks peeps. I've drawn a blank here

 

[monica23535]

I'm petty sure I included it in the total cost when I renewed my son's passport last year. I remember being confused by the form as there wasn't anything to tick to say that I wanted the extra service, but it went through without any problems.

 

[2Tiggies]

Thanks Monica. I was also a bit unsure. There is a place to tick on the form I have, but nothing in the notes to say how they want the payment. I checked online and it's a bit vague. I just wanted to know if I need to take a cheque book when I head off to sort it out or if it's all done via card payment. I will just have to take both and find out at the time, I suppose.

 

[MissPrincess101]

Just renewed mine and paid by cheque....can't remember where the details are, somewhere in the booklet that came with I think :-/

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[2Tiggies]

Just renewed mine and paid by cheque....can't remember where the details are, somewhere in the booklet that came with I think :-/

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

Thanks. Nothing in my guidance notes about fees. No matter. I shall have to be a Scout and be prepared

 

[DISWolves]

Just renewed ours. I took a flyer and assumed that I had filled it all in correctly and so did not use check and send.
I returned forms together with old passports and sent them via by Royal Mail Special Delivery.
All returned with new passports within two weeks. I don't recall paying any extra for secure delivery, but we did have to sign for the new passports upon receiving them.

 

[Elise79]

It's all taken as one fee however I also don't use check and send - just posted special delivery

I stopped using check and send after a family member had their application checked and it still got returned.

Probably a bit late now but I always use the online application as the form arrives pre-printed and you only need to sign and get counter signed if applicable.

 

[2Tiggies]

Just renewed ours. I took a flyer and assumed that I had filled it all in correctly and so did not use check and send.
I returned forms together with old passports and sent them via by Royal Mail Special Delivery.
All returned with new passports within two weeks. I don't recall paying any extra for secure delivery, but we did have to sign for the new passports upon receiving them.

It's all taken as one fee however I also don't use check and send - just posted special delivery

I stopped using check and send after a family member had their application checked and it still got returned.

Probably a bit late now but I always use the online application as the form arrives pre-printed and you only need to sign and get counter signed if applicable.

Thanks, both

The reason I am using Check & Send is because it only costs a couple of £ more to do that than to send Special Delivery, but if it is returned your C&S fee will be refunded. I will recheck my prices. For someone who doesn't do packages for trips, I sure seem to be a hypocrite when it comes to 'all inclusive' services for everything else Same reason I get our photos done somewhere where they actually take the photos and check them and issue them with a guarantee, as opposed to saving £1 at a booth. Besides, I shudder to think of having DD, the queen of selfies, doing her own passport photos at a Tesco self service booth (because it's not cool for me to go with her you know ....)

 

[wayneg]

Renewed all our passports in the last 12 months. I am such a cheapskate, as you all know I won't pay for any additional service, only use standard postage and take & print my own pics.
There are numerous site for uploading a pic & printing UK sized passport photos, takes seconds to do.

 

[MRSHOPPY]

Not a cheapskate at all Wayneg just carefully saving for your next trip

 

[2Tiggies]

Well, because all the cheapskates on here know nothing and I, on the other hand, am so incredibly smart and always know better etc etc .....

I had the photos re-done 5 times. Actually four times. The last time I took them myself and took my SD card and told them to print them. (The person who took them was SO offended!) Then my counter signatory smudged one and got a thumb print on the actual picture, which I only saw later so I had to go back to him with another one to get that redone ... Oh and the forms? Fourth time I managed to get everyone to stay in the lines

Check and Send includes the Special Delivery fee and with the weight of the envelope with DD's expired passports, I would have paid a little more to post SD than I did for check and send so no loss there.

Thanks to all for your help. Now we wait to see what comes back. A new passport or forms/photos to be redone

 

[DISWolves]

I also took our own photos, hung a bed sheet as a backdrop and then resized and printed them in Photoshop on glossy photo paper from Poundland
As Wayne said, plenty of free software options available.
This site is easy to use. http://www.idphoto4you.com

 

[Elise79]

Well, because all the cheapskates on here know nothing and I, on the other hand, am so incredibly smart and always know better etc etc .....

I had the photos re-done 5 times. Actually four times. The last time I took them myself and took my SD card and told them to print them. (The person who took them was SO offended!) Then my counter signatory smudged one and got a thumb print on the actual picture, which I only saw later so I had to go back to him with another one to get that redone ... Oh and the forms? Fourth time I managed to get everyone to stay in the lines

Check and Send includes the Special Delivery fee and with the weight of the envelope with DD's expired passports, I would have paid a little more to post SD than I did for check and send so no loss there.

Thanks to all for your help. Now we wait to see what comes back. A new passport or forms/photos to be redone

Surely she only had one un-cancelled passport?

You only have to send ones which haven't already been back to be cancelled

DD's cost me £6.95 to post SD and I know C&S was more than that! TBH I would have probably just sent it recorded but I wanted it back quickly as we are away in April and I don't really trust Royal Mail

 

[wayneg]

I also took our own photos, hung a bed sheet as a backdrop and then resized and printed them in Photoshop on glossy photo paper from Poundland
As Wayne said, plenty of free software options available.
This site is easy to use. http://www.idphoto4you.com

I picked u a couple of packs from Home Bargains, I think they are 69p(maybe 79p) for 10 sheets of A4, as good as any of the expensive paper I have bought over the years. Bed sheet over the back door works perfectly. First time I tried indoors but found lighting not good enough and flash caused shadows so natural daylight and a bed sheet

 

[Pegasus928]

Brilliant lol. Who'd have thought that hanging a sheet on a door, taking the pics myself, buying the photo paper then putting the pic through photoshop - or another free online photo editing program of course - then cutting them out to the right size would save me a couple of quid. It's got me thinking though. I might have to check eBay and see if I can can but a second hand dinghy from Port Canaveral. Hook that up to the back of the Dream and take a pack up with me and it would save thousands on a cruise.
Seriously though those who can go to extreme lengths to save the pennies for the bigger things in life have my respect (have you ever seen Extreme Couponing on the TV) but there are limits that most if us can be bothered to go to - which I appreciate is more a reflection on today's society than anything else.

 

[wayneg]

£6 a time now Kenny for a passport photo in my local chemist, just couldn't pay £18 for 3 of us for sake of a few minutes. I have to work 2+ hours to earn that.

A few years ago when I was earning more money than we could spend then it was no problem but now we only earn enough to live, savings have to pay for holidays so every penny helps.

 

[Elise79]

DDs first photos we did ourselves when she was a baby.

I took her to a booth this time which was £5 but as we only have a laser printer now I couldn't print them myself so would have had to use an online service and as most charge the best part of £3 for delivery I spent the extra £2 for ease.

Had we wanted anything else printed I would have happily done them myself again.

There's a saying my nan used to tell me "look after the pennies and the pounds look after themselves"

 

[Pegasus928]

Despite my jovial attitude Wayne I do agree that pennies are tight for everyone. We are saving like mad for our next trip - but that's because we plan on really pushing the boat out and doing a lot of stuff over there that we normally couldn't afford to do. Elaine works for well below minimum wage, but it is that money that we are squirrelling away.

 

[2Tiggies]

£6 a time now Kenny for a passport photo in my local chemist, just couldn't pay £18 for 3 of us for sake of a few minutes. I have to work 2+ hours to earn that.

A few years ago when I was earning more money than we could spend then it was no problem but now we only earn enough to live, savings have to pay for holidays so every penny helps.

I paid because I wanted them done without any hassle. Cost me £7.99! On the up-side, I now have 38 (useless) spare passport sized photos if anyone in the family wants wallet prints.

 

[wayneg]

I paid because I wanted them done without any hassle. Cost me £7.99! On the up-side, I now have 38 (useless) spare passport sized photos if anyone in the family wants wallet prints.

Actually I haven't even looked for over a year, £6 was the last time I looked so could be more now. I just think its such a simple thing to do myself its more hassle going somewhere to pay for it.